There are so many good golf games to play, most of which have rules that make betting easy, too.
One of the greatest and most common golf games takes a lot of skill and strategy, and it's called a Chapman. Let us tell you about this team competition that is played with quite a twist.
The rules of a golf Chapman
A Chapman is a format you can play with two players.
The rules of a Chapman are pretty simple. At the start of each hole, both players on a team tee off. After each member of the team hits a shot, each player goes to where their partner's ball landed and hit that ball for their second shots.
Golf games: How to play Wolf | How to play a Scamble | How to play a Shamble | How to play Nines or 5-3-1 | How to play a Nassau | How to play a Skins game | How to play Quota | How to play Snake | How to play a Chapman | How to play Bingo Bango Bongo
From there, the players on the team determine the best location of the two balls from which to hit their next shot (if necessary). At that point, the players then will play alternate shot until the ball is holed.
For example, if Player A's second shot is selected as the best position, then Player B hits the third shot. Player A would then hit the fourht shot, if necessary, and so on. In some formats, both players hit their second shots from their partners' tee shot, then play alternate shot in from the best second shot result.
RELATED: The best golf games to play for twosomes, threesomes and foursomes
The team's score for a given hole is represented by the total number of shots struck using the best ball from the first two shots plus any shots from alternate shot.
Par is your partner
In some Chapmans, there is a stipulated rule that "par is your partner." What does this mean? It means a team can make no worse than par on a hole. If a team does not make birdie or better on their own accord, then they automatically score a par. This is designed to create a floor for scoring and to speed up play.
How to win a Chapman
The winning team in a Chapman is the team with the lowest combined score. Winning a Chapman, though, does take some strategy in forming a team. Typically, great Chapman teams have similar characteristics. This way, the players aren't particularly shocked by the second shots they'll be forced to hit from their partner's tee shot.
There is some thought that dissimiliar players will do well, particularly a lower-handicap longer hitter and a shorter, higher-handicap player. The longer player will give the shorter player a comfortable second shot, and the longer player will still have a shorter club for a second shot than their shorter partner.
More than anything else, the key to a Chapman is having two players who keep the ball reasonably in play off the tee. This gives both players a chance to contribute on each second shot, maximizing opportunities to score. If a player is struggling to recover from their partner's drive on many holes, the scoring chances are halved for each hole, and a player can get frustrated with their partner.
